


The Jade Sheep

by cosmicdiamond



Category: Hiveswap
Genre: Gen, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 01:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19735429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicdiamond/pseuds/cosmicdiamond
Summary: Bronya suspects that Daraya wants to tell her something.





	The Jade Sheep

**Author's Note:**

> (the titles a play on daraya being the black sheep of the jades)
> 
> i wrote this when the only people i had to talk to were my transphobic family. its not that great, but i wrote it from the heart, and i hope that counts for something. 
> 
> rated teen and up for: some use of strong language

You knock lightly on the door of daraya’s respiteblock. A dissatisfied grumbling from within signals it’s alright for you to open the door, so you do, entering slowly into the darkest, moodiest block in the hive.  
“What do you want, Bronya.” Daraya hangs over the back of her desk chair, glowering at you, her voice its typical monotonous drawl.  
“I noticed you followed me around a lot today,” you begin gently.   
“And?”  
“You only do that when you want to tell me something.”  
“So?”  
“What do you want to tell me?” Conversations between the two of you are always this tedious game of purrbeast and cheese critter. Daraya would try painfully hard to ignore the opportunity to bring something up unless you drop it right into her lap. And even then, you still only had a fifty-fifty chance.  
“I dont know. It’s kind of stupid.” She fidgets with the hem of her shirt, avoiding your eyes.  
“If it’s occupying your thoughts so much, it can’t be stupid,” you offer, pulling up an empty crate and sitting down across from her, hoping to offer some encouragement. Daraya takes in a deep breath, as if steeling herself for what comes next.   
“Well…. you know how Lanque is?” 

Ah. Of course.

“Yes, yes, i know, I’ve been meaning to have a talk with him about how he acts-“  
“No, this time i don’t mean it like that.” 

You raise an eyebrow at this. Daraya almost never brings up Lanque except to complain about him. 

“What i mean is, you know how the whole being a girl thing wasn’t his style?” 

Oh boy. This is a tricky topic, and hardly one you know enough about to discuss in-depth. Not to mention how Lanque, normally a fan of oversharing in _excruciating_ detail, seems to unnaturally clam up when you ask him about his transition (a choice for which you can hardly blame him). Your own ignorance aside, you were never one to shut down curiosity, so you let her have at it. 

“Well, i’ve just- I've been thinking. And i dont…” She pinches her eyes shut, pausing for a moment. Her voice has gone shaky, her hands clamped to her legs in a trembling, sweaty grip. You can tell she’s scared, so you reach out and give her a reaffirming pat on the hand. 

“I… don’t think it’s right for me either.” Daraya finally spits out. 

Wow. That’s not what you were expecting to (pardon the pun) come out of this. Daraya notices you shocked into silence, and quickly picks the ball up again.  
“All of the connections between our caste and femininity… the expectation that we’ll be all kind and nurturing and stuff. I hate it! All this time I thought I was just bad at being a girl. I thought there was nothing i could do about it because i was hatched this way. But…. but maybe a girl isn’t what i’m meant to be.” She rubs at the back of her neck awkwardly, noticing how it’s been a while since you’ve said anything. “Is that… bad? Are… are you mad at me?” She asks apprehensively. Before responding, you pull her into a tight hug.  
“Oh Daraya, there’s nothing you could ever tell me about yourself that would make me angry at you.” You’re now holding her shoulders firmly, and the two of you are making direct eye contact for the first time in ages. A facade in Daraya’s demeanor has dopped. You can sense a new opening. A new layer of trust.   
“And… if it's not too much trouble, I’d like to… uh, to not be called ‘she’ anymore. I want to go by they now. It was Elwurd’s idea. We also talked about the possibility of me being a guy, but it didn’t feel right. If that makes sense.” Daraya’s wringing her _-shit! you mean their-_ their hands out nervously, watching your face like a hawk for your reaction. 

“Making you happy is never an inconvenience to me. I love you for the passionate, courageous troll that you are, not based on some arbitrary concept assigned to you when you hatched. You can tell me anything and i will always, ALWAYS support you. And as long as you’re happy with the troll you turn out to be, I’ll be happy just the same.” You give daraya the kindest smile you can manage, and again, you share a long, warm hug. You may not be the perfect guardian, but if there’s one thing you know, it’s that you will always be there for your jades when they need you.


End file.
